Gate.



No. 726,601. PATENTED APR. 28, 1903. F. H. WILLIAMS & R. T. VAN VALKENBURG.

GATE.

ABPLIUATION FILED JULY 9, 1901.

NO MODEL.

ms NORRIS PLTEHs ca. mom-urns" WASHINGTUN. u. c

UNiTED ma FRED E. WVILLIAMS, OF SOUTH HAMILTON, NEW YORK, AND RANDALL T. VAN VALKENBURG, OF NEWCASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 726,601, dated April 28, 1903.

Application filed July 9, 1901. Serial No. 67,648. (No model-J To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRED E. WILLIAMS, of .South Hamilton, Madison county, New York, and RANDALL T. VAN VALKENBURG, of Newcastle, Lawrence county, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gates, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in gates, having more particular reference to road or farm gates.

The object of this invention is to produce a simple and practical gate-frame which is pivotally mounted and adapted to swing independently of the crane and is also arranged to be adjusted vertically, said frame being. supported at substantially its central point for the purpose of balancing the same.

A further object of this invention is to construct the gate-frame so as to prevent any sag at either end and to otherwise brace the frame as to prevent injury or undue strain of its parts.

To this end the invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the parts of a gate, as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are respectively an elevation and top plan of a gate embodying our invention. Figs. 3 and 4.- are sectional views taken, respectively, on lines 3 3 and 4 4, Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

As seen in the drawings, our improved gate consists of upright posts or supports 1 and 2, a swing-crane 3, hinged to one end of the supports, as l, a gate-frame 1, mounted upon the free end of the crane 3. The upright post 1 is provided with suitable lower and upper hinge-sections 5, which may be of any standard make, usually consisting of a strip of iron secured to the post and provided with an upwardly-projecting pin or trunnion. The post 2 serves as a suitable stop for limiting the swinging movement of the gate and is adapted to engage suitable projections provided on the gate-frame 4. The crane 3 may also be of any desired size, form, or construction and usually consists of a triangular frame having a substantially vertical or upright bar 6, a horizontal bar 7, and a brace-bar 8, the upright bar 6 being provided with hingestraps 9, having suitable eyes adapted to receive the pins of the hinge-sections 5. The horizontal bar 7 is secured at one end to the upright bar 6, and its opposite end is connected to the free end of the brace-bar 8, which has its other end secured to the lower end of the upright bar 6. The free ends of the bars 7 and 8 are preferably secured in. contact with each other for additionally stiffening the crane, said crane having its free end provided with a vertical slot or opening 11, which is adapted to receive a vertically-adjustable rack 12, presently described. Mounted upon the upper face of said free end of the crane is a catch or stop-shoulder 13, which is adapted to engage the teeth 14 of the rack 12 for holding the same in its adjusted position, this catch 13 being movable into and out of the path of the teeth, as may be desired. This rack is usually provided with upper and lower trunnions 15 and 16, projecting from the opposite ends of the rack, the upper trunnion being provided with a shoulder 17, normally engaged with the upperarrn ofasuitableyoke,presentlydescribed, for holding therack in position. The catch 13 preferably consists of a semicircular piece of metal pivotally secured to the upper face of the free ends of the crane 3 by a suitable screw or other equivalent device 19 and is out of the path of the engaging faces of the teeth 14. The trunnions 15 and 16 are journaled upon a U-shaped yoke 20, consisting of an upright plate-bar 21 and laterally-project ing arms 22, the arms 22 being provided with apertures 23 for receiving said trunnions. The lower trunnion 16 of the rack 12 preferably extends upwardly above the lower arm 22 of the yoke 20 a sufficient distance to permit said rack to be moved downwardly for the purpose of withdrawing the upper trunnion from its aperture when the head. or nut 17 is removedthat is, the distance between the lower end of the rack and the upper face of the lower arm 22 is equal to or greater than the length of the trunnion at the upper end .85- adapted to be rocked on its pivot into and of the rack, which, it is apparent, permits the removal of the rack whenever it may be desired, it being understood that the upper end of the trunnion 15 is threaded and that the head 17 consists of a nut engaged with said threaded end of the trunnion. The gateframe 4 is supported at substantially its central portion upon the crane 3 and consists of upper and lower lengthwise truss-bars 24 and 25, intermediate lengthwise bars 26, and upright end bars 27, the upper and lower bars 24: and 25 being arched in opposite directions and having their opposite ends secured, respectively, to the upright bars 27. The intermediate lengthwise bars 26 are arranged substantially parallel with each other, their opposite ends being secured to the upright end bars 27 between the corresponding ends of the upper and lower bars 24 and 25, said opposite ends of the bars 26 being extended beyond the end bars 27 and adapted to engage the corresponding faces of the post 2 and the upright standard 6 of the swinging crane 3 for limiting the swinging movement of the gate-frame when actuated by the crane. Suitable tie-rods 28 and 29 are hooked at their inner ends to the adjacent bars 26, the outer ends of said tie-rods being passed through apertures in the upper and lower truss-bars 24 and 25 and are provided with screw-threads adapted to receive nuts 30, which engage the outer faces of the bars 24.- and 25. This construction of the tie-rods permits the upper and lower bars and the adjacentintermediate bars to be drawn toward each other for additionally stilfening the frame.

In order to further stiffen the frame we preferably provide a series of lengthwise wires or equivalent devices, which are secured to the upright bars 27, these wires also serving to form a substantially rectangular gate and to act as a barrier to the passage of cattle, sheep, or other animals therethrough when the gate is closed.

In order to support the gate-frame 4:, so as to be substantially balanced, we preferably provide the same with a substantially central wearing-plate 32, which is secured to the intermediate bars 26, substantially midway between the end bars 27, and to this plate and It is apparent that when the gate-frame is secured in the manner just described said frame is free to swing upon the pivots or trunnions 15 and 16 independently of the crane 3 and that when desired to elevate or adjust the gate-frame vertically it is simply necessary to rock the catch out of the path of the rackteeth and then to lift the gate to the desired height, which carries the rack 12 upwardly, after which the catch 13 may be rocked into the position for engaging one of the teeth for holding the gate-frame in its adjusted position.

The operation and purposes of our invention are believed to be sufficiently described for a perfect understanding of the same, and it will be noted that some change may be made in the construction and arrangement of the various parts Without departing from the spirit thereof. Therefore We do not limit ourselves to such precise construction andarrangement as is shown and described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A gate comprising a support, a swinging crane mounted on the support and provided with a vertical opening, a Vertically-adjustable rack extending through the opening above and beneath the crane, means for bolding the rack in its adjusted position, a yoke pivoted to the opposite ends of the rack and a gate-frame secured to the yoke.

2. A gate comprising a support, a swinging crane mounted on the support and provided with a vertical opening, a vertically-adjustable rack guided in the opening and having vertical trunnions above and beneath the crane, means for holding the rack in its adj usted position, a yoke j ournaled on the trunnions and a gate-frame secured at substantially its central portion to the yoke.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 15th day of June, 1901.

FRED E. WILLIAMS. RANDALL T. VAN VALKENBURG.

Witnesses to signature of Fred E. Williams:

H. E. CHASE, MILDRED M. N OTT.

Witnesses to signature of R. T. Van Valkenburg:

O. H. TRUESDELL, M. E. LELITER. 

